1. This invention relates to a toothbrush having sufficient means for providing sufficient voltage for electrolysis of dentifrice, gels, and rinses to produce hydronium ions and an aqueous acid media.
There is a hydration layer between the enamel of teeth and a natural covering of a glyco-protein adhesive film called a pellicle that is present on all teeth in the oral cavity. This layer of water molecules is vectorial with a positive charge directed toward the oxyanion of the phosphate ion of the apatite crystals of enamel. This vector magnitude insulates the tooth against electrical potentials produced by electrophoresis. Any claim that a potential on teeth by electrophoresis does not take this physico-chemical phenomena into account.
The present invention uses the phenomena of electrolysis to obtund decay of teeth and periodontal disease. Without limiting the invention to any mechanism, it is believed the production of a weak acid media, using an electromotive force for electrolysis, will react with the fluoride and bicarbonate compounds, if present, of the dentrifice, gels, and rinses in the oral cavity. This is a more organized and active use of these products compared with the random and passive diffusion that occurs when brushing in the absence of this energy. The present invention provides an efficient means to obtund decay and periodontal disease by lowering the count of acid-producing bacteria in plaque. At the same time, the present invention will strengthen the apatite crystal bundles of the hard tissues of teeth and bleach the teeth.
The present invention is a circuit comprising a) a dry cell wafer battery, b) two leads having exposed lead end plates, c) a photovoltaic cell, and d) a rectifying diode. Preferably, the circuit is incorporated in a toothbrush produced by computer-aided injection moulding for precision construction.